Cadel, what have you done?

Monday, 14 July 2008 22:30

Oh Cadel Evans what have you done?

Cadel is in yellow after what was a monster battle on the slopes of the Hautacam. But what has Cadel really done? The answer is simple. He has moved cycling from a fairly obscure sport here in Australia to one that is getting front billing on news services around the country. Cadel single handedly is taking the sport to the forefront of our minds. He is a household name in this country and like other big riders before him, he is continuing to do so without any dubious clouds over him. And he is doing it with a fair bit of class. The single mindedness that he has is very impressive. The crash he had two stages ago just adds to the story.

So what does all this mean for Cadel? Well the first thing is that the Tour is not done yet. He is no where near naive enough to believe that all he has to do is ride to win. Quite the opposite. The fight that he will have on his hands as he heads into the Alps will be epic. But the whole of his country, which this time of year is normally obsessed by ball sports, is fully engrossed in this saga. The positive spin Cadel is putting on the sport of cycling, which has undergone so many hits of late, is unquantifiable. But we know one thing, that the whole country will be riding on that yellow jersey as he rides for glory... it's going to be one mighty battle.

Comments (3)

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written by phil (author) , July 17, 2008

Good points but i think his days in yellow will further enhance his growing profile. He was the lead story on a few ball sport dominated outlets which is a great thing.

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written by coutta , July 15, 2008

Unfortunatly I have to concur with beav. I live in darwin and even despite the local paper having "Cadel Watch" as a permament article on page 3 everyday (Cadels a good Katherine boy by the way) the level of enthusiasm in the locals is on par with last year, and well, the year before. I have to admit the sport of cycling up here is becoming a little easier, not through the exploits of Cadel, but because fuel is $1.90 a litre. You see more bikes out on the road and a little more tolerance. Lets hope that the Government gets on the band wagon and brings in some more bike paths.

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written by beav , July 15, 2008

unfortunately i think you might be overstating the effects this is having on his ozzie profile or the profile of cycling in oz. i just did a quick wip around the office and out of 27 people only two others had heard the name.none were actively following the tour.they have simply just heard the name on 7 sunrise. i think the increase in interest has come from people that were already interested becoming even more interested. even if he wins i doubt we will notice even the slightest bit of change of attitude towards cylists and cycling in oz. you can expect to still get cut off,have things thrown at you and cop plenty of undue abuse tomorow morning on the road. hope i am wrong..GO CADEL.

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